How to Correctly Manage Software

In our modern era, every company relies on some type of software in order to function, so you need to ensure that this software is correctly managed in order to maintain operations. While this may sound like a lot of work, software management is rather simple and can be trimmed down into three steps: leveraging the available assets, testing your strategies, and comprehending what it is you have.

Leveraging the Available Assets
One of your first steps is to find a solution that can satisfy your needs, and to resist the temptation to follow the convenient route and merely find a solution that covers “enough” of them. Ultimately, even if it does cover enough of your needs now, how can you be sure that your needs will still be covered down the road? This is why you need to select a solution that offers comprehensive coverage that won’t leave you hobbling together your software strategy.

Most organizations need productivity suites and payroll/accounting software as a base. As operations grow more complex, so will the software you utilize. Many of the top-tier productivity suites have software that can do multiple things for you, so knowing what your needs are, and how software will help, will help toward solidifying a software strategy that will work for your organization.

Controlling Software Licenses
It’s imperative to understand your software licenses to avoid significant problems. For example: there’s the possibility that a team member may overstep the terms of your agreement with the software developer or distributor by installing a single license on numerous machines. This type of mistake can cost your business quite a bit! The only way to mitigate negative situations is to be prepared for it.

One way that you can do that is by communicating with your IT administrator and ensure that they know all the rights your business has to its software. In doing so you will not only gain the peace of mind that your IT admin knows the situation, you will also get someone in-house who is more proficient dealing with licensing and other software issues. Ensuring all your software is registered, licensed, and working correctly has to be at the heart of your IT department’s software plan.

Comprehending What It Is You Have
As we have noted, software is a big deal for almost every business, and when it comes to managing the software you rely on, there is a laundry list of the items that you need to know. It’s not just about compatibility and cost, although those are two of the more significant factors.

To achieve comprehensive software management, you’ll need to produce a list of software and the requisite licenses they need. In this repository, you will want to break it down by the way the software is stored (endpoint, server, cloud, etc.), and include everything from operating systems, to your CRM, to any productivity apps your staff utilizes.

Once you construct the list with all the licensing information, you have to go back over the list and make sure that all of the software is legally being utilized by your organization. This just puts any doubt to rest. It also gives you a chance to set reminders when critical software licenses expire, which is very useful if your IT department is focused on the list of other issues your organization has.

You also have to know how your staff utilizes the software you have or, more specifically, how they misuse it. Your software costs are more than just how much you pay for your software; they also are manifested in the time spent learning, using, and troubleshooting the software they need to conduct business. By having a central repository that allows you to track costs and spending on the applications your business uses, it makes it easier to trim the fat when needed.

Managing software doesn’t have to be irritating. The trusted IT professionals at Macro Systems can work to keep all of your company’s software, hardware, and networking technology up to date. For more information call us today at 703-359-9211.